Within Their Own Universe
by Firestorm-244
Summary: A collection of older Connie x Steven loosely connected one-shot/drabble type series focusing on their already existent romantic relationship.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Warning Bells

Older Steven x Connie

Author's Notes: The following will be a series of short stories/one-shots/drabbles loosely connected and by no means on an update schedule. The characters in question are older; ranging between teens to early adult hood based on what ideas are running through my head. Not overly smutty but there will be suggestive romantic themes/material - nothing overly graphic, I think.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon when Dr. Priyanka Maheswaren pulled into the driveway. She'd been at the hospital for a solid sixteen hours straight and she was ready for bed. Operating on autopilot she stepped out of the car and circled around to the back seat where her purse was when a flash of bright pink light exploded from the other side of the car. A large creature emerged in silhouette seconds later sending the good Doctor's heart racing.

She dropped to her knees using the car as cover and peeked to see what said thing was. As her vision adjusted Dr. Maheswaren could make out that the creature itself was pink with a long twitching tail, four legs and flowing wild mane. _Steven's... lion?_ As if sensing her, it turned around and met her stare. A shiver ran down her back. Just because her daughter lived a life involving Gems, Magic and anything else that fell under _out-of-the-ordinary_ didn't mean that she'd grown accustomed to it.

The _lion_ broke eye contact first; looking towards the house then let out a relatively quiet growl serving to unnerve her further. She was in the process of composing herself when she heard a window from above fling open. Her head spun in time to see a disheveled Steven Universe begin to climb out leg first from what was unmistakably her daughter's bedroom.

Dr. Maheswaren was frozen in utter shock looking back and forth between Steven and Connie who now leaned out the window watching him make his way down the front of the house until a misstep brought the Universe boy hurdling to the hard ground.

"Steven!" Connie cried in a hushed tone. "Are you alright?"

He got up on shaky legs. "I'm good."

Her daughter breathed a sigh of relief. Steven patted himself down, shot her a thumbs up and proceeded to hoist himself up on the magical creature. At this point Priyanka should have jumped to her feet and given the young man a piece of her mind before having an apparently much needed talk with her teenage daughter. But before the Doctor could so much as blink the boy was galloping down the street. The beast roared again setting off a car alarm just as it and the boy disappeared in yet another blinding explosion of light.

Priyanka remained by the car and attempted to process everything she had just witnessed. She had known the kids were dating. They'd been inseparable from the moment they'd met and even though she wasn't always the most attentive parent she _had_ seen all those years ago where their little friendship was going. Her mom-sense setting off warning bells whenever the boy hugged her daughter or held her hand. That was why, when Connie had hit puberty they'd sat down and had _"The Talk"._

She then contacted Greg Universe to do the same with Steven and she was pretty sure that when her husband had next seen the boy that they'd had their own little chat. He'd been a lot more timid with Connie after that, at least he always was around the house. She was a fool to think they'd do little more than kiss as they got older but still... for them to be-

Priyanka shook herself and took a deep breath. It was time to put her mom face on. She pushed herself away from the car and stood with narrowed eyes meeting Connie's.


	2. Downpour

Author's Notes: Set during their younger teens years and quite some time prior to Warning Bells.

* * *

Connie and Steven came rushing in passed the screen door of his home breathing heavy, dripping wet and freezing. They'd been goofing around on the beach, taking photos when Connie had observed the the dark grey clouds. The next thing they knew they were running through a heavy rain trying to get to cover.

Conscious of the hard wood floors they wasted no time heading to the washroom to change. Steven instructed her to go in the shower and pull the curtain across promising not to sneek a peek - gentlemen - boyfriend that he was while he would quickly ditch his drenched clothes in the sink, grab a towel and find them something dry to wear.

"Do you mind If I take a shower to warm up?" Connie asked as she carefully pulled back the curtain. Just enough for her to toss her skirt, blouse and undergarments out to the sink.

Quite accidentally she'd caught sight of his broad bare back. Granted she'd seen him shirtless before but that was never in a confined private space.

"Sure thing." He called over his shoulder, struggling to get out of his drenched clingy jeans. Decency demanded she avert her eyes but his state of undress and the realization that they were alone in his home gave her a provocative idea.

"Um," her voice more timid than she intended. "Do... you wanna join me?"

He froze just as he'd gotten his jeans around his knees then - "Y-yeah?"

Slowly he turned to look towards the shower hearing the rings of the curtain scrape. She poked her head out, cheeks rosy. It would be their first time seeing each other completely naked and it was as exciting as it was intimidating. She took a breath. "Yeah."

The chance to see his girlfriend in all her glory was not something he was going to pass up - obviously. He scrambled. Tripping over himself as she retreated further inside to run the water. Warming quickly, she switched it over to the shower head. As the spray began Steven stepped in behind her. His large trembling hands carefully slid over her hips as he drew closer. She pulled her hair off to the side as he pressed his face into her shoulder blade. He peppered kisses until she turned around in his arms. She stooped, being the taller of the two of them and he stood on the tips of his toes until their lips met.

The kiss was gentle at first, sweet, exploration. Their make out sessions always started out that way building gradually with passion. Today was no different except for their lack of clothes. She draped her arms over his shoulders pulling him closer still until pink flesh met dusky brown. He tightened his hold; gripping her hips, pressing himself between her legs and the shower wall. She yelped arching her back away from the cold tile and closer into him. His hands slid down to her thighs and lifted her.

"We can't." She gasped suddenly. Realizing something crucial, "I'm not on the pill."

He stopped cold, her words a rude jolt. "I... don't have condoms either..."

Steven lowered Connie until her feet touched the bottom of the tub. They stood quiet, eyes downcast at a loss for how to move beyond their compromising positions. They could so easily and perfectly fit together. Both still wanting but knowing better. The sound of the running water the only noise that passed between them until-

Finally he let out a frustrated groan burrying his face in the crook of her neck.

"Damn." Connie agreed. She looked up to the ceiling and let out a sigh. "Damn it..."

"Sorry." He told her.

"Don't..." Her fingers caught in his tangly mess of hair. "It's not wrong. But we're not ready." But she should have known better. Anything could happen with Steven especially when it involved the two of them together. Stevonnie was a prime example of them losing themselves in the moment. How many times had they accidentally fused in the years they'd known each other? Did she really expect their romantic - sexual relationship to be any different? At least they'd had the sense to stop...

"Let's cool down." Steven said. Suddenly pulling her from her thoughts. Before she could protest he changed the temperature to cold.

She shrieked. He laughed, using his size to keep her with him under the icy water flow.

She batted at his solid chest. "What part of 'take a shower to warm up', did you not understand?!" He laughed harder grappling with her until she's started pinching his side.

"Okay, okay!" He let her go. She stepped out of the shower grumbling. "Loooove you." He sing songed.

"You're lucky I love you too." She shot back.

"It was a necessary evil." He turned off the water and pulled the curtain back to see her already wrapped in a towel and using the second to bind her hair. "You took all the towels."

Her face was set with a very unimpressed look as she spun on him and put a hand on her hip.

"Co-nnieeeee", he whined. "I need something to cover up with before I go out there. What if the gems come back while I'm in the buff?"

She glanced down at his abandoned wet boxers on the floor and back up at him.

He groaned but put them on. "Ugh, this feels weird."

"Yes, but it's a necessary evil."

* * *

Steven and Connie changed into near matching clothes seeing as they were picking from his wardrobe. The star T-shirt was enormous on her dipping low on her chest - not that Steven minded, and wore his blue and white striped pajama bottoms because they had a string at the waist. The rest of his pants would be too wide to stay on her.

He made two cups of hot chocolate before settling on the couch. She sat on the floor in front of him sipping on her beverage listening to the pitter patter of the rain overhead.

He ran his comb through her damp hair working out the tangles before he spoke. "About... today..."

"I'm gonna look into birth control." She set her mug down and turned to look up at him, resting a hand on his knee. "I don't know when we should start, y'know... doing it. But I think I should start taking it just to be safe. For when we do..."

"Oh..." He wasn't expecting that. Steven put the comb on the table and slid down on the floor beside her. It was time for a serious talk.


	3. Nightly Visitor

Author's Notes: Warning, this chapter progressively falls into NSFW territory with teen Connie and Steven in mature situations. I said I'd keep this smut-less but I'm a liar. A dirty rotten little liar - although I've tried to do it tastefully and limit the graphicness of it.

This chapter jumps time a lot and takes place both before and after chapter 2.

* * *

The first time Steven Universe spent the night with Connie Maheswaren had been after a particularly rough mission. The two teens had left the battle shaken but intact.

She awoke from her fitful sleep with the sense that someone was in her room. A quick visual sweep revealed Steven carefully latching her window closed. He stood before her in his usual flip flops, and jeans with an unzipped hoodie over his star shirt. How he'd scaled her house and gotten into her room so quietly would have been something she'd intended to ask him but then she saw his troubled face illuminated by the light of the phone he held in his hand.

Her phone then vibrated on her nightstand. She reached for it as she sat up shifting to the edge of her bed. Careful to keep herself covered from the waist down as these days she tended to favor tanks and panties over full length nightgowns. She patted the mattress for him to sit beside her as she read his text. 'Needed to see you.'

The mattress dipped where he took his spot. She watched him settle beside her; elbows resting on his knees, broad shoulders slumping. She quickly texted back seeing as talking might wake her parents.

'Are you okay?'

'No.' The lack of elaboration was cause for concern.

He was itching to say something but he was hesitating. It wasn't like him to want to talk and not come out and say it. Not with her. Not for a long time. The mission was worse on him than she'd originally thought. 'How's Amethyst?' Surely she had come back by now. Connie doubted he'd be visiting her otherwise.

'Regenerated an hour after you got home but I haven't been able to sleep since...'

'Amethyst isn't exactly the most careful of gems,' she reminded him. 'If she hadn't been goofing around, she wouldn't have gotten poofed.' Still, it had been hard to see. It had freaked her out too.

He cut to his point. 'It could have been you.'

Connie was about to text her rebuttal when another message popped up. 'I close my eyes and it's all I can see... '

She started typing. Stopped. Deleted it and started typing again. They had both struggled with feelings of inadequacy from time to time - feared that one day they might fail the other. They couldn't doubt themselves. Ever. They had to have absolute faith, both in each other and in their own abilities. For them, it could literally be the deciding factor between life and death. 'We can't think like that.' He knew that. They'd talked so many times about it.

'I know and usually we don't think about how horrible things can get when we run off with the Gems to but right now I think I just need to worry about you. I need to know that you're here and safe...'

Gently she took his phone out of his hands and set it on the nightstand with her own. "Come here." She whispered, pulling him against her. His large arms wrapped around her small but firm frame as he buried his face into her neck.

They didn't say much more after that. Just held each other, eventually shifting in the odd position until they were lying down together. Steven - still dressed but out of his shoes lay on his side atop her blankets staring at her. He ran his fingers through her hair, ever gentle as if he thought she might disappear before leaning in and kissing her.

She melted under his ministrations and it was a good few minutes before they broke apart. Feeling hazy, lusty yet content. Connie rested a slender arm around his wide waist and nuzzled his chest taking in his scent. "We're okay," she told him softly.

They shared whispers holding each other for comfort and security. Neither knew exactly when they fell asleep, only that they had when a knock sounded outside her bedroom door.

Connie awoke to a near frantic Steven and quickly covered his mouth to stop him from gasping in alarm.

"Connie?" It was her father's voice. Thankfully. Her mother would have just barged in to kick her out of bed. "Aap deer see hoonee ja rahee hain..."

She answered back in English for Steven's benefit. "I'm up. I'm up. Getting ready now. Don't come in. I'm not decent." Sitting up she hoped she didn't sound as suspicious to him as she did to herself. Then again, she reminded herself she switched often enough between Hindi and English at home especially when she was tired that it shouldn't raise any eyebrows.

Connie looked back to Steven only to find him rosy cheeked; eyes glued to the exposed skin of her lower back between the hem of her underwear and her top. Her cheeks reddened too as he tentatively ran his fingers along her exposed flesh.

"Ur, alright." Her father continued, pulling the two teens out of their trance. "I hope your sleeping-in won't become a habit or we might have to rethink this 'going on missions during school nights."

"It won't happen again." She called back, eyes fixating on her door knob to make sure it didn't start to twist.

"Promise."

"Glad to hear it," A moment later his footfalls could be heard getting farthur away as he headed down the hall.

Connie and Steven looked back at each other, blushing, knowing grins slowly spreading on their faces. Her parents didn't suspect a thing. They had no idea her boyfriend had not only snuck into her room but had spent the night too. But they couldn't share in the excitement for long though as Connie still needed to get changed and ready for the day.

Once she climbed out of bed Steven rolled over and buried his face in her pillow until she tapped his shoulder letting him know that she was dressed.

Steven wouldn't be able to leave with her. He'd have to wait until her family left for the day. She gave him her house key so that he could lock up when he was on his way out and would get it back from him later after school.

Several weeks later, sometime after the Gems had retired to their respective rooms for the night, Steven received a text from Connie.

'You up?'

He paused the game he was currently playing and texted her back, 'Yep. Can't sleep?'

'I can... but I was hoping you could come by...'

He sat forward and read her text again. They'd talked about having another sleepover but he didn't think it would be so soon. Excitement spread through him at the thought of their possible secret rendezvous. It was so risky and maybe even a little naughty. Having her alone without anyone knowing, not even the Gems - they might now get the chance to do some things that they'd wondered about.

'Mom's pulling a double and dad's already gone to bed.'

He didn't need any more of an invitation then that. 'On my way.' He killed the power to his console and grabbed a fresh pair of socks before rushing down his stairs. He threw a coat over his white hoodie seeing as the nights were colder now and slipped into his shoes.

Grabbing a Lion-licker, Steven was able to coax Lion into taking him over to the Maheswaren's without any detours. Once there he patted his magical beast on the head, rewarded it with his treat and scaled the house until he reached her window. It opened before he could even knock and the two grinned at each other. Excited - feeling mischievous, like they were kids that had successfully stolen cookies out of a cookie jar before she pulled him in for a very passionate make out session.

A few weeks after that they tried it again. They had a method now. He would come by in the late hours of the night when it was unlikely neighbors would be up to see the young man sneaking around and they both set the alarms on their phones for the morning so that he could leave before her parents were up.

Between school and training, missions and their regular date nights, Connie would determine the best nights for him to sleep over with the least likeliness of them getting caught. A few times she went over to his place but mostly he would come to her.

With their visits more routine the couple was becoming more bold, more exploration. Kissing and cuddling, falling asleep in each others arms was wonderful but at their age there were other things they wanted to do. By the time her school was out for summer they were experiencing rolling heatwaves and their sleeping attire had dwindled from relatively conservative to the both of them clad only in their underwear most nightly visits.

One muggy summer day, Connie stepped out of the local pharmacy quickly slipping the paper bag full of Cyclin in her shoulder bag. After the impromptu shared shower between her a Steven a few weeks prior they'd decided that they were at a point in their relationship that they should be investing in contraception.

Her visit to her women's clinic hadn't been nearly as mortifying as she'd imagined. After doing a bit of research, calculating costs - as she wasn't about to try and claim her prescription under her parent's health plan, a frank discussion with the health practitioner and a small handful of tests she was finally set. Whenever they finally took that last step she would be ready. Pulling out her phone she gave her boyfriend a call.

"Hel-lo - woa!" Steven sounded out of breath.

She heard what sounded like lasers firing in the background on his end. He must be on a mission. "this a bad time?"

The sounds of fighting muffled out. "for you, never!" although he was still panting she could definitely hear the cheer in his voice. "accidentally set off some traps - threw up my bubble. Should be good now. What can I do for you M'Lady?"

She smirked at that. "Well, _'M'Lord'_ I thought you should know that I got-" she covered her free hand over the phone to keep passersby from hearing, "those things we were talking about."

"Things?"

"You know, the _things_."

"Oh - Oh!" he got it "The things!"

She blushed. "Yeah - we have to wait at least until my next period before I start taking them though, so don't get too excited."

"I just - wow. I know it's just for safety and stuff. For when we do something, but still it's like-" He took a deep breath. "It's really awesome."

Her whole face felt hot and her smirk turned into a full dumb , it was really awesome.

There was a boom and she imagined his bubble must have broken because he groaned as the line flooded with chaotic noise. "Ah, crud." She heard him mutter. "Listen, Connie I gotta go deal with this. I'll call you back tonight okay?"

"Go do what you do, just be careful. Love you."

"Love you too."

Within the week they were tumbling in her bed trying desperately to keep quiet. Their clothes strewn all over her floor.

His hands and his lips were everywhere; touching her, kissing her, groping her breasts, her thighs, her butt. All while she trailed love bites - marking him with small bruises in places that only she would be able to see.

Straddling his naked lap she reached passed him as he suckled her neck to retrieve the small packet from the drawer of her nightstand. She sat back and his eyes immediately zeroed in on the small foil wrapper as she tried to tear it. He took it from her shaking hands only to realize that his were no better. His large, stubby, sweaty fingers were not helping. "S-sorry." He whispered, "give me a sec."

After a bit of struggling he finally got the packet open and quickly rolled it on. He settled his hands on her hips leaving her to adjust as she needed and control the pace.

He saw her teeth grit as discomfort washed over her face. His eyebrows knitted with concern and he forgot to be quiet, "Connie?"

"Shhh..." She told him, determined to see this through. Then she scrunched her eyes and hissed with obvious pain when she forced herself all the way down.

"But..." he held her still "I'm hurting you."

"That's normal." She told him. "The first time's supposed to be painful - I wasn't expecting it to be pleasant."

"Yeah but..." Steven's lust completely evaporated seeing his girlfriend - the woman he loved more than anything in the world in pain with him the cause of it. He slowly shook his head and carefully pulled her off of him.

"I can't..." he then reached for and discarded the condom, feeling more than actually seeing the faint traces of blood on his fingers.

Granted Connie couldn't deny the relief that washed over her at their uncoupling but this wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to be with him no matter how much it burned or stretched or stung.

She'd had the talk with her mom when she hit puberty and often overheard the girls at school because she was both very good at listening and at not being noticed. And with her and Steven more and more physical she had also done additional research online through medical websites. She was prepared for her first time to be terrible - it was just the way of things save for a small percentage of women. "But Steven-"

"No." Steven held her face in his hands and lightly kissed her. "Connie I can't do this if it hurts you."

She gripped his wrists, not quite able to encircle them. She looked down between them and saw that he'd already gone soft. "I'm sorry..."

"Hey," he whispered as he stroked her hair. "Don't be sorry - I just wish I could heal you but then your ah, hymen might heal back too since the wound is so fresh and I'll just end up hurting you all over again..."

Connie nodded. It was probable. His healing ability was considerable. Once he'd rediscovered the skill, he's used it many times on her to heal bad cuts and bruises. Sometimes to her annoyance as his saliva wasn't selective or bound to direct contact and he would inadvertently heal the callouses on her feet and hands too making the following training sessions killer until new calluses formed.

"It's probably for the best anyways." He continued, "You wanted to be on the pills too so we'd be extra safe right?"

"Yeah... I just..." She pulled back from his grasp, looking away. "I wanted at least one of us to have a good time..."

He caught her chin with his thumb and forefinger drawing her eyes back on him. "How am I supposed to enjoy something that's hurting you?"

She sighed. Steven - her ever caring and sensitive lover. Of course her smoltzy romantic would put her needs over his own.

"Besides," he continued somewhat sheepish. "I liked all the before stuff..."

She pouted, "Yeah well the before stuff we've done... before. I wanted us to-"

"I know and we will." He gently pressed his forehead against hers "When we can both enjoy it."


	4. Afterglow

This night in particular had been a blur of passion. They were panting, sweaty and absolutely satisfied.

There was just one small problem.

"Connie," Steven began. Finally capable of coherent thought. He forced himself on his elbows before rolling onto 'his' side of her bed. Quietly he told her, "I shot inside you..."

"I know." She'd crossed her hands demurely over her belly looking the picture of calm but he could tell by the way her eyebrows had knitted that her mind was racing with various possible scenarios.

"Is that -" he covered both her hands with one of his. "I mean, are we gonna be okay?"

She shifted until she was on her side as well, facing him "I... don't know..."

He took that in.

"Connie I'm sor-"

Her fingers covered his lips. "I didn't tell you to stop. Or remind you about protection." They hadn't been able to contain themselves.

It was crazy. They spent nearly every day together during her summer break - today in fact they had parted ways just a few hours prior at her curfew and they'd craved each other ever since.

The moment he was back with her, in her room she'd grabbed him. Kissed him, pulled up his shirt, tugged at his pants until they gave way. Her night apparel joined his heap of clothes on the floor.

They hit the mattress. Her drawer with the package of condoms forgotten.

Now here they were in the aftermath of their passion.

"You warned me you were about to c-"

Steven kissed her fingers, "I still could have stopped." he trailed his kisses down her palms, then her wrists. "could have pulled out..." He should have but she'd gripped his butt - so close to the brink herself. Had uttered a strangled 'please' and that was it for him. All sense of concern gone. There was only the burning drive to push her over the edge and to be there in her depths when it happened.

She took back her fingers and sat up before covering her face in her hands "I can't believe we just did that - we're like, every bad teen drama ever."

"Not gonna argue," He sat up with her. "That was crazy stupid on our part." A moment passed. "Oh man, if you get knocked up, your parents are totally gonna kill me."

She looked at him wide eyed. "Steven. I think you're freaking over the wrong part of our situation."

He shook his head, smiling with a playful glint in his eyes. "You're parents are way scarier than any baby could ever be."

He got a snicker and a nervous huff out of her. Then she shoved his sticky chest; the summer night air doing nothing to cool them down. "Steven be serious."

Steven pulled her into his lap. An arm slid around her slim, firm waist; holding her back to his chest and considerable belly. He gave her light peck on the back of her neck. "I'm completely serious." He settled his chin on her shoulder as she fully relaxed into him. "Even with protection, there's always a small chance that an 'accident' can happen..."

"Very true..." and somewhere down the line it would happen. No doubt about it. Not that they'd necessarily talked in depth about their future. They didn't have to. But in the now - "I'm not interested in being a teen mom and since I haven't started my pills yet we'd better go with plan B."

"Plan B?"

They didn't in fact go with that particular brand of pills. With Connie having choirs around the house to complete and several small errands to run for her parents while they were away at work, Steven opted to pick them up for her seeing as he had the majority of his day free.

The pharmacist didn't have that brand in stock so he'd bought the most expensive one they did have, automatically assuming that the priciest product meant the best.

He returned to her home around noon, meeting her just outside. Subtly he passed the pharmacy bag over to her when they hugged. Connie lived in a tight knit neighborhood and if he went inside when her folks weren't home, they'd know about it.

The 'no-boys-allowed-in-the-house-when-the-Maheswaran's-weren't-home' rule had gone into effect when Connie hit her teens.

Connie had taken it offensively. There were no "boys" in her life. Just one. Steven. Her parents didn't trust them. Steven being the more naive of the two hadn't quite grasped why their ages made being alone together so faux pas. That is, until they'd decided to make the transition from flirty best friends to actual boyfriend and girlfriend.

One day it all clicked. Everything. All the rules and the questions, the disapproving stares from her parents...

They were still new at kissing. Not the innocent albeit occasional peck on the cheek that they'd shared as friends but real, deep kissing. He'd drifted from her soft lips down to her neck mimicking what he'd seen in the media and that one novel series they'd followed. He nibbled, gently sucked and it made her moan. That's when he felt Connie take his free hand and guide it to her breasts. He touched her through her blouse and padded bra but it was still enough sensation to get them both worked up.

He'd never sexualized her before that day. He respected her too much to show her anything other than unadulterated love and devotion until she'd made it abundantly clear that it was okay for him to want her.

The rest was... the rest was a gradual, wonderful exploration into the physical side of their relationship bringing them to this point. But apparently no length of planning or conversation had prepared them for how quickly hormones could have them spiraling out of control.

The following day Connie texted him that she wouldn't be showing up for their weekly sword practice and to please let Pearl know she was sorry.

Panic surged through him. In all their years together he could count on one hand how many times she'd cancelled training. Once was for a family event. The second time, she was studying for exams.

'Are you okay?'

'Yeah...' She quickly replied. 'The side effects are hitting me hard is all. Resting now. Mom kept trying to diagnose me before Dad shoe'd her off to work.'

That didn't do much to help his worry. Dr. Maheswaran was well, a doctor and they were good at figuring out what was wrong with people. Would she be able to tell from Connie's symptoms what was going on? Oh he should have tried to learn more about what exactly it was that doctor's did. He just knew what Connie had told him in passing which wasn't a whole lot. She hadn't seen the sense in going in detail about it when he likely would never need to visit one.

'Can I come over? I wanna see you.'

A minute passed before she responded.

'I let my dad know you're stopping by but he says you gotta leave when he heads off to work at eleven.'

'Okay. I'll just throw something together and I'll be right over.'

He wouldn't be visiting her for long sadly. It was mid morning by the time Steven lightly knocked at the Maheswaran's door. Liquid-filled container in hand.

Connie's dad answered.

Steven cleared his throat. "Good morning Mr. Maheswaran. I brought home made soup for Connie - well more like broth but I chucked it full of vegetables when I cooked it. No preservatives added."

"Good man." Mr. Maheswaran nodded and stepped back to let the teen in. "Come on in Steven."

"Is it okay if I bring it up to her room?"

"Hm... I suppose we can make an exception." Typically Connie's parents did not allow food outside the kitchen. "But her door stays open."

"Ah, yes Sir." if only the older man knew... no. Scratch that. Steven rather liked being on good terms with the Maheswarans and understandably feared their reaction if they ever learned just how intimate he was with their daughter.

He quickly transferred the soup to a bowl and plated it before making his way to his girlfriend's room.

"Hey," he lightly called as he poked his head in through the door.

She was a ball of lite blankets. Her curtains were drawn shut and her waste bin, usually at her computer desk was lined with a bag and pushed up near the head of her bed. "Hey..."

He passed through her threshold. "Have you eaten?"

She slowly sat up as he drew near; making room for him to sit with her. "My stomach wants to jump out of my mouth."

He set the plate on her nightstand "So, no?"

She gave a slight head nod as he leaned in to greet her proper but stopped when one of her hands pressed against his chest.

"No healing powers. Regular kisses only."

Steven nodded. Much as he hated seeing her suffer neither of them knew if his healing abilities would even work and if they did would that mean the pills were nullified?

His lips brushed her forehead. "How are you really?"

"Dizzy, head-achy, nauseous, tired, but no irregular bleeding or back pain so there's that."

Steven gave her knee a squeeze through the blankets. "Do you want to form Stevonnie to take the edge off for a bit?"

Their fused state endured pain fair better than either of them alone.

Connie took a moment to debate his offer. Her parents had met Stevonnie before and though they accepted that sometimes their fusion was necessary for battle they didn't exactly approve of them using it for the mundane. She offered a small smile as she touched his face "No. I'll manage." He had the five o'clock shadow look with the bit of patchy stubble he had growing in. She thought of their busty, mostly feminine looking fusion sporting facial hair and resisted the urge to giggle, "Thanks though."

He leaned into the touch. Their foreheads met.

They heard the thumping of feet on the stairs and the moment passed. Steven looked down the hall and caught Connie's dad en route to his own bedroom most likely to change.

He got down to business. "Have some soup. There's ginger in it so it should help - hopefully."

"Worth a shot." She agreed then took the bowl from him and brought it to her mouth forgoing the spoon.

Steven nervously pulled at her blanket but gave her a few moments before he spoke again. "So... what happens when your mom comes back home tonight?"

She set the bowl in her lap "I'm hoping that if I'm 'asleep'," she made quotations in the air. "I won't have to talk to her until tomorrow."

Usually Connie's plans were a lot more methodical then that but he didn't have anything better to offer. "Um, okay?"

"It should be fine." She resumed sipping at her soup. "The symptoms for food poisoning are similar and last for about the same length of time."

"But what if you're still feeling sick after tomorrow?" Steven continued.

Between sips. "The likeliness of that happening isn't high but I'd probably go see my doctor to make sure everything's okay if my symptoms persist."

Steven nodded again but wasn't placated. "What about-"

"Dear?" Connie cut him off, giving him the half finished bowl to set back on her night stand.

He caught her eyes, "Yes?"

"Please. We've done everything right - after the fact. Let's just assume it's all fine now unless something comes up."

"Hm..." Steven rubbed the back of his neck and thought it over. After a moment he sighed. "I mean if you say so... but if you feel worse call me - text me." as an after thought. "Even if you're the same or better, let me know."

"I'll keep you updated." She promised as he helped tuck her back under the blankets.

Connie was much better the following day and back to normal by the next. She'd pretty much put the whole experience behind her until August hit.

She was a week and a half late and she was starting to get nervous. It didn't help that the TV dramas she was trying to catch up on seemed to all be featuring either accidental or unwanted pregnancy. The coincidence was uncanny.

Maybe the universe was giving her a sign. Maybe the pills didn't work. Maybe she had residual healing spit in her system and combined with her 'medicine' had thrown her hormones out of whack. Or maybe she was just being ridiculous.

Two weeks late she was mildly crampy and feeling very bloated but still no bleeding had occurred. They kept up the pretense that nothing was out of the ordinary. Thankfully with her dad doing overtime and her mom's job such as it was, she'd been able to avoid any raised eyebrows.

The only one that seemed to notice that something was up was Pearl who commented that their synchronicity was off during training.

She was getting way too absorbed in her own head space stressing about it while outwardly trying to ignore the possible implications. Perhaps, Connie finally decided, a home pregnancy test might be in order.

Connie had set her alarm for four thirty and drank a glass of water prior to bed. She was up closer four however. Too full of apprehension. She sat cross legged on her bed and began combing out her hair in the hopes it would pass the time. It was possibly the longest fifteen minutes of her life before she heard rumblings at her window.

Steven was early too.

She jumped up and covered the distance between them in a heart beat; latching onto him tightly, snuggling into him regardless of how the humid August heat clung to his body. His large arms wrapped around her in return as he buried his face in her hair.

"Okay." She breathed. Finally stepping back she went to her drawer and pulled out the pregnancy test. "I guess it's go time."

Connie started for the door and realized Steven was in step behind her. She turned on her heel and his forehead narrowly missed bashing into her nose.

"What are you doing?" She quietly asked.

"Coming with you."

Her cheeks flared as she held up the small box. "S-Steven, you know what I have to do with this right?"

"Yeah," he whispered back. "You're gonna pee on it."

"Exactly. It's embarrassing if you're in there while I'm doing that and you can't hang around outside the door either." This would be the worst possible time for her parents to discover their night-time rendezvous.

"Connie, you're not doing this alone." He said matter of fact. "We have used the washroom while fused together. This won't be nearly as awkward as that."

He had a point but still.

Steven gently spun her around, hands on her hips guiding her. His adamancy inclined her to believe that although he was playing it cool he was probably just as antsy as she was. "Besides," he continued. "What if it's positive and you die of shock or something and I'm not there to save you?"

Connie rolled her eyes, "Oh, please."

"Hey," he twisted the door knob and they quietly stepped into the hallway. "It could happen - now stop fussing before someone wakes up."

"Negative." Steven whispered. Carefully looking at the small white stick before passing it to Connie. "This is negative right?"

Once the wait time was up Steven had jumped from their seat on the edge of the tub and snatched up the test. Giving little to no thought about the potential for germs.

Connie looked at the results and sighed with relief. "Negative." she confirmed and leaned back until she slid right into the tub. Her legs hooked over the edge.

Steven got down on his knees and leaned over. Hands planted at either side of her. Her entire field of vision was of him. "That's great and all but your 'lady schedule' is still messed up. Are you going to be okay?"

Her fingers locked at the back of his neck, still gripping the stick. She couldn't leave that in the washroom for her parents to find. "We've been a little paranoid lately. I might have just missed this cycle completely because of the drug. Medications can do that sometimes..."

He stood bringing her with him. As he righted himself his hands drifted to her butt. She followed the motion wrapping her legs around his waist.

"I hope so." His lips met hers briefly. Under other circumstances more would have definitely come of it but worry superseded desire. She tightened her hold on him Resting her head against his chest as he carried her back to the bedroom. Exceptionally quiet as he walked over the floorboards.

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_ Okay. I've decided. So the first couple of chapters are going to be an arc of sorts building up their more adult relationship - seeing as I keep writing chapters that flow into each other.

After that I really do think I'll be working on drabble/one-shots and adding them in. Maybe adding additional "story arcs" as new episodes are released and give me more material to work with. Ideally I want this to be cannon compliant so we'll see how it goes...


	5. Chapter 5

Idle Hands

Decisions were made.

The test had come back negative but Connie couldn't fully stop worrying. Not until her cycle was back to normal and her pills were started.

To be safe they were going to hold off on anymore sexual activity. Or at least try.

"Okay," Steven began; drawing the attention of Connie who sat neatly on his bed thumbing through one of his old comic books. With his arms full, he hopped up onto his mattress and on his knees shuffled over to his girlfriend before dropping a pile of sealed snacks unceremoniously in front of her.

"We've got Cheesy Chaps, Shrimp chips, Sea Salt Dark Chocolate" - that one was solely for her as Steven wasn't much for dark chocolate and adding salt to the mix just completely rubbed him the wrong way. "granola bars aaaaand wait for it-" He held his hand up counting down with his fingers, three-two-one: the microwave sounded. His arms flung up above his head, "popcorn!"

His excitement was infectious and Connie couldn't help the wide grin that spread across her face in spite of her seemingly endless cramps.

"Do you really think we need all that plus the two medium pizzas that you just ordered?"

"Well we wont eat all of it of course." He explained - matter of fact. "But it's nice to have variety."

Since Connie was still feeling lousy and outside the weather was overcast - chilly with the occasional drizzle, they'd opted to stay inside and be lazy for the day. Well, near evening now.

"We should probably have a proper meal at some point though."

Steven shook his head, "Uh, uh. It's movie time. Pizza's the closest thing we're getting to real food here. Now if you'll excuse me, I have popcorn and sodas to grab." He disappeared behind the makeshift curtain that he'd hung from the ceiling to help darken his room. A moment later she could hear him singing a little ditty about butter, salt and pepper from the kitchen.

When he returned they munched on said popcorn and took their time debating between DVD's. They ended up settling on a scary film; an old Japanese horror. Original language with subtitles. A classic by Connie's account. Perfect for the dark, dismal day they'd been having.

Nearly twenty minutes into the film there was a knock at the door. Steven yelped and quite comically his startled self sent what remained of their popcorn - mostly kernels at that point flying up in the air. Connie in turn made a valiant attempt at dodging the rain of bits but couldn't move fast enough to get fully clear. Steven still in recovery from the scare huffed a 'sorry' her way. After offering her beau a sympathetic smile she paused their movie: stood, dusted herself down, shook out her hair and then headed off to answer the door. Leaving Steven to clean up his little mess.

Once back she noted he'd done more than clean up the popcorn. He'd set the rest of the snacks aside and remade the bed, leaving the pillows on the floor so they'd be comfortable while they ate. He then plopped down on one of them and patted the other for her to join him.

Taking her newly designated spot on the floor she rested the pizzas on her lap and opened the lid of the top box. Sun dried tomato, zucchini, spinach with goat cheese and roasted garlic. The other one was simple pepperoni. Steven leaned in and they both took a moment to inhale deeply. There was nothing quite like the smell of a freshly made pie.

Steven reached in and tore the slices apart at the crust where the pizza cutter never seemed to quite get at.

Connie picked up the remote and gestured towards the TV. "Think you can handle the rest?"

Steven rubbed the back of his neck remembering his rather dramatic reaction from earlier, "Eh, probably. Might need you to hold my hand though." He offered her a knowing grin, the kind he gave her whenever he was planning some word play. "Not so good with the scares I'm afraid..."

In mock surprise, "Really? I hadn't noticed."

He did more than hold her hand once they'd finished their dinner. Total wuss that he was he'd subtly edged closer and closer to her until he'd finally just pulled her into his lap, wrapped his arms around her and maintaining a firm grip. Slightly squeezing her at the sight of a scary scene. He'd then bury his face in her hair; making quiet apprehensive noises. She found humor in the role reversal - typically it was the girls who got all clingy and nervous watching scary things.

Then he figured out a way to distract himself.

His hands slowly crept under her top; tracing her smooth skin. He drew circles across her belly which lead to lite rubbing.

Connie breathed a sigh. Steven had done this for her many times recently to help alleviate her abdominal pain. But apparently he had other intentions today.

After several minutes messaging her there, his exploration continued upwards until he found her breasts. He cupped them gently at first, teasing her through her lace bra. She thought to remind him about their agreement on sex but - She sucked back a gasp. His fingers had brushed her nipples; fiddling until they hardened. Well... a bit of fooling around was okay she supposed. Then he'd unclasped her - wanting to feel her chest bare and free. It didn't take long after that for him to fully and rather ardently grope her.

Her top went sailing through the air landing somewhere over the TV; partially obstructing the screen. "Steven - " the cold air rushed her exposed chest. Somehow he'd maneuvered her around in his lap and got her in a straddling position; encircling his arms once again around her, pulling her in close. The movie continued to blare as the couple further lost themselves in each other.

His lips graced the side of her neck making her quiver. "Ohmygosh!" It was one of her sweet spots. Steven continued his kisses; nibbling his way back to her breasts where he then took to suckling one of her protruding buds.

She bit back a moan. Suddenly yearning for his attention between her legs and then his fingers were there. Touching her through her clothes. As instinctual and in sync with her as when they went into battle together. Her hips bucked and she couldn't help the heavy, wanton noises that escaped her mouth. It drew Steven's attention and his lips finally found hers. Urgent and hungry; the firmness in his jeans increasingly apparent.

If it was the middle of the night in the secluded quiet of her room she would have no qualms continuing their love play but that wasn't where they were. They were in his home and his room was not very private. Practically common space. The hanging sheet did nothing to drown out the heady sounds they were making and she absolutely did not want one of the Gems walking in on them.

"Hey," She breathed between the flurry of kisses "We should -" she rasped. Working hard to think straight when he touched her the way he did. Connie pressed a hand against his chest to force some distance. "we need to stop - Just because the house is empty, doesn't mean we're alone."

He looked between said hand and up to her flushed face - lost. Then he blinked and seemed to realize her meaning. "Oh..."

"Yeah..." They might've been left to themselves for most of the day but that didn't mean the Gems were going to stay in the Temple for the rest of the night too. Especially with Pizza and junk food lying around. It was only a matter of time before a certain purple Quartz came sniffing around for scraps.

"I'm not any happier about it than you are." Her hands roamed up his chest and met at the back of his neck. "Believe me, I really love it when you ravage me senseless."

Steven huffed. Not quite disappointed. More resigned to the fact that maybe this was not the best time for love making.

"Later though?" she near whispered.

"Later..." He echoed.

"Hand stuff mostly." She said, reminding him as much as she was herself.

There was a longing in his eyes. He wanted more of course. So did she. But oral sex would have to do for now. Steven nodded. His large hands slid from her hips to rub along her sides. "I do like hand stuff..." Until they were properly protected it was safer that way.

She caught one of his hands and kissed his palm. "Maybe some mouth stuff?" She lead the tip of his thumb to her lips and gently sucked.

Steven shuddered. Imagining something else of his in her mouth. They'd only done that to each other a few times so far. And while Connie had a bit of a hang up with Steven licking her in her most sensitive and private of areas, she did enjoy it once he got her going. "That-" He took a deep breath, "That needs to stop now or later won't work for me."

Slowly she pulled back. "Just giving you something to look forward too." disentangling herself from him, she got up to retrieve her clothes.

He laid back on his elbows and watched as she quickly restrapped her bra. "Connie," he breathed; admiring the way she pulled her hair to the side and adjusted her top. "you're always something to look forward to."

Tbc...


	6. Steven's Day

Midnight. August fifteenth. Steven's birthday.

They had planned a private celebration but then a mission came up on the afternoon of the fourteenth while she was out running errands.

Well, at least his time away would let her finish up her daily chores and not rush through her planned evening of waxing, hair straightening, facial and nail treatment. Sure the self done manicure would be ruined come training day, but she wanted to look good for him.

Several hours later Connie received another text from Steven letting her know he wasn't going to make it over and that he was sorry he hadn't messaged sooner. Wherever he was had little cell reception.

That was okay - she'd assured him. They could always have their intimate get together after his party.

What neither realized was how late his little party would run.

His local friends and gem allies were in attendance for the celebration. Connie was better with crowds now. Still preferred smaller groups but she didn't struggle with her nerves like she had in elementary and middle school. Still, once the walk about with Steven to meet and greet everyone was concluded she found herself drawn back to the more familiar; speaking with her mentor about her next training routine.

This coming fall Connie would be starting a study of Chinese traditional swordsmanship with Pearl – having just finished training in European fencing at the start of summer. The prospect was very exciting to them, both quickly falling into deep conversation.

In her preteens, the focus had been simple: attack and defend. To protect herself (and Steven) when danger arose. Then came fusion training. Ever ongoing. They honed their abilities as Stevonnie, and learned so much more about each other in the process. Over the years they expanded to focus on style, technique and strategy with long discussions over battle tactics in human and gem warfare alike.

While Connie conversed with Pearl, Steven ran around trying to give everyone equal amounts of his time. The young man had seen so little of the townsfolk this summer and soon many of his older friends would be heading back to college. He probably wouldn't see them again until winter vacation. If that.

It wasn't until after the local car wash was closed for the night that Greg Universe arrived toting a portable barbecue. Once he'd been properly greeted, Steven and his dad went off to set it up while Connie excused herself to retrieve the seasoned burger patties and hotdogs.

Before grabbing the meat from the beach house fridge, Connie stopped at the counter and riffled through her purse until she found her container of extra strength ibuprofen. She had taken two earlier in the day to dull her cramps and was due for another dose.

The screen door opened just as she'd popped two tablets. "Hey, you need some help with -" Steven's eyes fell to the small capsule of pills.

His broad smile faded. Connie very rarely took medication. Even when she had a bad headache or muscle fatigue from overtraining, she hardly ever took anything. But then, she'd always been able to depend on his healing spit for that sort of thing...

He walked up to her and carefully touched her belly. "Cramps that bad?"

Connie sighed. "Yeah, they're pretty rough today. I'm managing though."

His eyes were downcast. "I wish you'd said something earlier. You could have rested up instead of coming over so early to help set up..."

Connie offered a shrug. "I still would have had the cramps whether I was here or at home," her hands slipped behind his neck drawing his attention once more. "Quite honestly, I'd rather feel gross with you than feel gross alone."

His eyebrows knitted together. "I hate that you've had to go through all this." His hands slid to her lower back, gently kneading the muscle there. "If I'd used protection, you wouldn't have had all these problems."

" _We_ should have used protection." unaccepting of his self resentment. It wasn't all on him. "It took the two of us to get in this mess and I'll be back to normal eventually."

A small murmur escaped Steven. He pushed up on the balls of his feet as Connie leaned in. Their foreheads touched. Noses brushing; far more intimate in that moment than their most passionate kiss. A familiar warmth filled them. The pink glow of his gem shone through his shirt and engulfed the room.

Fusion was always an intense experience between them.

Stevonnie was flooded with thoughts and feelings from their counterparts. The link hadn't been nearly this powerful when they were younger. That came with time and a lot of Garnet's guidance. They'd practiced and actively had to push to extend the connection before. To be fully open and honest in the fusion; to feel everything and completely share was sometimes too much. And in the instant they'd become one they were already at that heightened level of connection.

They trembled at the union of light and organics that brought them once more into existence. Steven and Connie hadn't been together like this since - _since before they'd first made love._

Stevonnie swayed. "Goodness gracious!" Their stomach swirled, taking several seconds before the cramps calmed. Their skin tingled in remembrance of passion heated nights fueled by love and hormones.

The fusion blushed deeply; nearing sensory overload. Love had never been a foreign feeling to them but the sexual tension, the yearning for the physical and a sense of incompleteness definitely was.

It was hard to analyse. Harder still to articulate.

Before they could get too wrapped up in themselves, they stopped, took a deep breath, held their hands together and slowly exhaled. After several reps, the technique worked. Stevonnie smiled. Quietly marveling their revelation.

Rejoining the party as Stevonnie hadn't so much as raised an eyebrow. They were fairly known in the small beach town and they supposed they were no stranger than a certain pink skinned resident.

Still, they probably should have separated.

The party was for Steven not the fusion but now that they were together they didn't much feel like going away so soon after being away for so long. Instead they found themselves quite happily goofing off with Steven's friends; joining in on a game of beach volleyball. Grooving to Sourcream's beats and then enticing others to to join them on the makeshift dance floor. Taking several breaks to wolf down way more of Dad-Universe's cooking than they probably should have.

Only when it came time for birthday cake did Stevonnie bid everyone farewell. Pink light separated them back into Steven and Connie.

Connie, along with half of Steven's friends were using their phones to take pictures as he blew out the candles and cut the first piece. While divvying out plates to the guests, Connie booped the tip of his nose with frosting. Thoroughly distracted, he returned the favor in kind and the two laughed as they play fought for frosting dominance.

 _Click, click._ It was Greg's turn to snap some photos with his old digital camera. In response, Connie's arm draped over Steven's shoulders. His went around her small waist. They smiled and waited for the flash.

After a set of serious photos, Steven summoned his shield and they did a battle pose. Then they made silly faces.

Connie's curfew had been extended in lieu of it being Steven's birthday but she was expected home before midnight. As it was she'd be pushing it; the plan had originally been for Lion to transport her home but the pink beast had disappeared halfway through the night. Mr. Universe instead had offered to give her a drive.

Steven and Connie walked hand in hand over to the Big Donut where the Dondai Supremo was was bad etiquette for Steven to leave his own party so he would have to stay back since he still had guests at the beach house but he would sneak over once everyone left for the night. For now they would have to enjoy the few fleeting moments alone before Mr Universe caught up with them.


End file.
